Happy Birthday, Will
by DiSolace
Summary: Will passed away just under a year ago. Today, Nico visits his grave for the first time, to wish him a happy birthday. A little Solangelo one shot to really tug on your heart strings. I hope you cry (evil laugh) Nico x Will, about 8 years after the war with Gaea!


**Hi!**

 **I'm an awful person for not updating 'An Unlikely Detention', but I WILL! I have been really tied up with school, and when I finally did write the last chapter I managed to lose it all. It was really heartbreaking and I lost all motivation, and I was so unhappy with the story. Be patient. It will come.**

 **Here is a little one shot to keep me going. I really like it; it really tugs on your heart strings. If you cry I will be very chuffed!**

 **Enjoy. Love you A LOT!**

 **p.s. I changed my username! Was IndigoWater, now DiSolace (I am such trash)**

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Nico was sat, his legs crossed and his hands in his lap, on the grass. It was pretty muddy and he could feel the cold water seeping from the earth, though his jeans and into his skin, the chill oozing into his blood stream and reminding him that he couldn't really ever be warm again. It was a cold, overcast day with gloomy, intimidating clouds looming above him, threatening to open up and douse the boy in water. A sunny person would be pretty miserable in this dreary weather.

It reflected Nico's mood perfectly.

He took a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket and slowly, his hands shaking, opened it. There it was, the thing he had worked on for weeks, missing countless hours of sleep and drowning in stress and emotion, falling so deeply into a hole of despair that he missed most meals, relying on Hazel bringing him snacks a few times a day. He had tortured himself, and only last night, after nearly a year, had he felt strong enough to come here today. It took so long, and yet the final version was so short.

He saw the first word and immediately felt tears well up, not in his eyes but his throat. Nico didn't cry with wet tears dripping down his cheeks. He cried with painful, heart wrenching sobs that took so much energy and made his throat raw. His breath shook as he choked back a scream, feeling like he was going to explode. He took a deep breath and spoke, his voice quiet and hoarse.

 **Will,**

 **Happy birthday. I can't believe you are so old. The guys brought me flowers, half of which I have here. Yesterday I went back to camp where we watched all of your favourite films (yes, I sat through the entire Harry Potter series for you!) and then went to the campfire and sang that song that you made up, do you remember? It was after the war and you would walk around the infirmary with a ukulele, and everyone would laugh and pretend to be annoyed even though all of us remembered all of the words when we sang it yesterday, the newbies watching, confused and sombre, as the whole camp sang in perfect unison, the Apollo cabin, Lou (and some of your other friends) and I crying and laughing at the same time.**

 **Nobody slept in cabins that night; the Seven and I, all of the Apollo kids and most of the older ones all camped out, talking until the sun started to rise, seemingly slower than usual but maybe I imagined that. I was working on this, of course, Jason and Hazel looking after me when it got too hard, don't worry. We all had fried eggs in your honour although they were disgusting.**

 **I finally finished High School (only took me 90 years). They gave me a place in that university in New Rome, but I declined. I think I want to travel for a while, go to Italy and Greece and everywhere we went on the Argo II, but this time not in a life or death situation. I'm pretty sure you'll scold me for that, but I'm doing it anyway!**

 **I looked for you the other day, you know, downstairs. I'm hoping to find you someday, and even though there are thousands of people to search through, especially because of all of the new heroes after the Titan and Gaea war. I know that I'll be able to feel if it's you, because you're like a missing limb, Will, and I'm certain that I can find parts of myself.**

 **The others wrote some notes for you, so I'll read those;**

 _Hey dude. Happy birthday! Thought you might like to know that Annabeth is expecting a second child, and Nico is godfather_ **What? This is news to me!** _(which makes you godfather as well, I guess). If it's a boy we're thinking Bobby and for a girl maybe Lena? Love you, man. Thanks for saving my butt every time I did something stupid and hurt myself. –PERCY_

 _Hi Will. I can't believe you're growing up! I'm pretty sure little Nico is pissing himself right now because we hadn't exactly told him about the godfather stuff._ **Damn right I am!** _He was really sad for a while, without you, but we're looking after him, don't worry. I hope Elysium is treating you well. We love you, Will. Love Annabeth and the kid (soon to be kids plural!) How do you feel about Will as a middle name?_

Nico coughed, shaking from repressed sobs. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, from sadness but also from shock and joy; he was honoured that Annabeth and Percy would consider him for such a big role in their child's life.

 _Heya Willy. Just wanted to say we love and miss you and happy birthday. Had to go to the infirmary the other day after a little war games accident in one of the Camp HB and Jupiter meet up things. Wish it could have been you patching me up! From Leo_ _J_ _(and yes I do expect Neeks to say "smiley face")_

 _Will, I never knew you very well, but I did see Nico at his very worst, and can I say that you made him so happy. It was honestly insane. Thanks for that. Happy birthday, Pipes._

 _Dear Will, Happy birthday! I wish we could have spent more time together. It feels like the only times we actually got to talk was when Haze and Nico were geek-ing out over something from the olden days… I really love you, and we miss you a lot. It's a shame you won't get to come to the wedding. –Frank._

 _Will, I miss you so much. Nico misses you so much. He really, really, really loved you, and that is all I can say. He still does. I get really worried about him sometimes, and in the first few months he wouldn't talk to us and he started becoming so distant, but we brought him back. We'll look after Nico for you, in return for what you did for him. Love you so much, Will. Love Hazel._

 _Heya babe, it's Lou. I miss you a lot. We all do. I don't know what I can say besides I love you and I hope I can meet you again one day, if I am enough of a hero to reach where you are. I wish you were here. I miss you so much, Will. Love you so freaking much._ **Oh god. Poor Lou. I should stop by more.**

 **There are a couple more from your cabin mates, but the head is bringing them all down another time. I wanted this to just be me and our closest friends. I know there are others who miss you, even if they didn't write anything for now.**

 **Now, I guess it's my turn. The other day I went to that ice cream place, with Jason. I remembered that time when we picked each other's flavours, and then tried them blindfolded. You were all nice and got dark chocolate and coffee because you know I like them, but then I chose the worst flavours I could find and mixed them. It was awful. And you looked so cute and excited and I gave you a spoon and you were choking. I have never laughed so hard, and then you kissed me and I could taste it on your lips, so we came home and both washed out our mouths.**

 **I have so many memories with you, Will. And as cheesy as it is, you saved my life so many times. I just wish we could make more.**

"That's the end." Nico smiled, his voice catching. "I love you so much Will. So freaking much. I wish you were here. I _need_ you, Will. I need you so please come back." He was sobbing, tears running down his cheeks and into his mouth and his sleeves covered in snot and wiped away tears. Despite all this, he was smiling as he spoke the last words.

"You were the best thing that ever happened to me."

Nico placed a single flower, a sunflower, and a small box on the ground. And walked away. Away from the ring he had been planning to give his best friend and favourite man in the world. Away from the promise that would have bound them together.

He took in a deep breath, and it felt like he was breathing for the first time since he lost the love of his life.

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 **That was interesting!**

 **A backstory:**

 **After the war with Gaea Nico and Will became close very quickly, until it was a lot more than friendship. They had a many blissful years until one day a young child came to camp with awful wounds. Will couldn't save her, and trying to keep her alive ended up being too much for him. The camp was devastated; they lost two valuable heroes that day.**

 **This is set about a year after Will died, on his birthday (I mean it was Will's birthday in this fic, not the day he died.)**

 **This is about 8 years after the war? I don't really know.**

 **This isn't a mortal AU.**

 **Thank you for reading! Lots of love!**


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